Letter from Newton to John Collins, dated 17 September 1673

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I have here inclosed a Testimony of my judgment concerning Mr Dary his fitness for ye place wch he sues for, & I wish him all successe in it. The day after |yt| I received your letter wth one from him inclosed, I received another from him wherein he desires my opinion about the relation of ye lines one to another which are drawn from ye center of an Ellipsis to the angular points of a polygon inscribed into ye same Ellipsis, wch consists of 24 equall sides. As it appeares to me, their relation cannot be accurately known without an Equation wch is 4 times decompounded of affected cubic equations & twice of quadratick ones, & by consequence would ascend to 3{illeg}|2|4 dimensions: To compute wch would be a Herculean labour, & when done, it would be unmanageable. I doubt therefore yt to decide th{illeg}|e| controversy between him & Mr Gunton, recours must be had to some mechanicall examination of their assertions, but I leave it to you & Mr Bond to whome I understand it is referred. I must beg excuse yt I have so long deferred to answer your letter wherein another from Mr Gregory was coveyed {sic} to me but now I understand that Mr Gregory is at London, & intends to make Cambridg in his way into Scotland, I shall not trouble you any further wth discourses about ye Perspective but refer it to or meeting, if Mr Gregory will be pleased to favour me wth a visit. I thank you for ye little but ingenious tract of P. Pardies, & remain

Sr

Yor obliged friend & Servant

I. Newton

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These

To Mr John Collins

against|at| Mr William Austins house over at\against/ the Adam & Eve in Petty France, Westminst